


Early Bird

by ddm



Category: Star Trek, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Canon Jewish Character, Churches & Cathedrals, Divorce, F/M, Female Charles Xavier, First Time, Grief/Mourning, Kid Fic, M/M, Religious Content, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:06:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24851287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddm/pseuds/ddm
Summary: Charlie is recently separated from her husband, so her and her two children move to a small town where she is hired as a priest in one of the local Christian churches. She moves into the parsonage, only to find out that her handsome neighbour doesn't like the idea that the Jewish neighbourhood is becoming less Jewish. Charlie learns how to navigate new friendships with the older women that become her support system, a slow friendship with a grumpy man, helping a good doctor rebuild his life, run a parish, settle in her newly divorcee life and trying to make it all bearable for her little kids.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Kudos: 14





	1. The House

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story ever - have mercy!
> 
> And I have no beta, so blame me for all the mistakes.
> 
> Comments and suggestions always welcome.
> 
> It's a short prologue, just to set the story. More to come soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any characters obviously.

Charlie stood in front of the house, squinting at it against the sun. It was a beautiful, but faded baby blue, small but with two stories. It has a small porch and a pathway on the north side leading to a backyard. The upstairs had a quaint little window facing the street and the downstairs had a large one, with a flower planter in front of it that looked like it housed some plants at one point. The lawn was overgrown but not too bad and the flowers in the flower bed in front of the porch looked like they needed some love and care. The paint was a bit chipped here and there, but all in all, it looked like a decent place to start a new life.  
"It'll do!" She thought to herself and took a deep breath. Being here and seeing the house gave her hope.  
A knock on the car window took her out of her daydream. She turned and opened the door for the kids. Lisa hopped out and Charlie walked to the other side of the car to unbuckle David.  
"Is this it, mom? Is this our new house?"  
"Yes sweetie, this is hour new house."

Out of the corner of her eye, Charlie saw someone coming out of the house on the north side. A man, tall and slim, with brown-reddish hair, dressed in a pair of old jeans and a scruffy green t shirt was looking at them and then started to walk over. He had a strikingly masculine face and was slightly frowning. Charlie took a step towards the man, ready to introduce herself.  
"Are you moving in?" The man asked without preamble.  
Charlie gave him a smile and went to shake his hand  
"Yes we are, it's nice…"  
The man had stopped a few feet away and put up his hand "Look, you're not welcome here. This was a Jewish neighbourhood and now all you christians are moving in. I know your church owns this house and it was nice not having anyone live here for the past few years."  
Charlie was taken aback as the kids hid behind her, grabbing on the her legs and looking wearily at the man. There was a shadow of doubt in the man's eyes as he looked down at the kids, but then he turned and walked back to his house.  
Charlie, a bit stunned, turned towards the kids.  
"Well, let's hope the other neighbours will be nicer at least. Let's go sit on the porch and wait for Ms. McCoy."  
The kids relaxed a bit and followed their mom, the excitement of a new life making them forget about the grumpy man.


	2. The Jewish Cookbook

A week passed in a breeze. From getting a new mattress (that went on the floor, because Charlie could not afford much) to unpacking the few kitchen things and arranging their clothes, Charlie felt that perhaps this will be ok. She set up her office in the little room by the front door, the smaller bedroom became a playroom with the kid’s toys, the large bedroom was the one that got the king mattress so they can all sleep together and the two upstairs bedrooms remained untouched.  
She spent a couple of short days at the church as well, trying to tidy up the office and figuring out who worked there and what programs were happening during the week. Being at church did fill her with joy and she looked forward to starting her ministry. It was also a beautiful building, small, but made of stone and well maintained.  
Like a sore, she kept returning to the encounter with the Angry Neighbour. He had been upset, not without reason, but they would be neighbours for at least a while until she could afford to pay rent somewhere else. This would be the first month on her own, doing finances and childcare and work and everything else, but thinking about that made her unable to breathe, so Charlie and the kids drove down to the local library to register for library cards and see what fun events they had.  
Two hours later, with happy kids and a bag full of beloved books, they were back home. She had found a jewish cookbook and decided she could make a dessert for Angry Neighbour to make amends. She was fairly sure he belonged to a Reform synagogue, as there was one close to their home, but there was no way to know for sure if he kept kosher or any details about that, so she figured a new cooking sheet to bake challah was needed and then a new glass pan for the kugel. There was still a chance she was getting it all wrong, but hopefully he would appreciate the intention behind her possibly clumsy gesture.  
The next day, after baking and stalking to see when his car was in the driveway, Charlie decided she was brave enough to go talk to Angry Neighbour.  
“Come on, kids, let’s go take this challah to the neighbour.”  
With the challah wrapped nicely and the kugel covered, they crossed the lawn and walked into Angry Neighbour’s driveway. David ran up to the door and rang the doorbell while Lisa waited with the challah on display. As the seconds stretched, Lisa got more and more nervous, and then frustrated about the nervousness. It was ridiculous, she didn’t need him to like her, but she did want to be kind to him.  
The door opened abruptly and Angry Neighbour’s eyes moved from Charlie, to David and then to Lisa. His gaze seemed to momentarily soften, but then it returned to Charlie and the kugel pan.  
“My name is Charlie, these are Lisa and David. I understand you don’t want us to live here, but for now this is the only place that we can go. I can promise you to try to move out as soon as I can, but for now I would like to extend a peace offer.” And she held out the kugel pan. Before he could answer, there came a voice from inside.  
“Wer ist es?” (Who is it?)  
“Es ist die neue Nachbarin, Mama!” (It's the new neighbours, mama) Angry Neighbour replied over his shoulder.  
“Lass sie rein.”(Let them in)  
“Mama…”  
“Lass sie rein, Erik!”  
With a deep sigh, Angry Neighbour turned to Charlie and gestured for them to go in.  
“My mother would like to meet you.”  
Their house was different. The front door led straight into a living room and then a kitchen. On a brown couch in the middle stood a small woman, probably in her 60s and she was knitting, but looked at them with a smile. The kids stood close to Charlie as she stepped into the room and walked towards the woman.  
“Hello! I am Charlie, and these are my children, Lisa and David. We just moved in the house next door.”  
“Welcome, Welcome! How nice of you to come by!” she replied and gestured to them to sit on the sofa that was unoccupied. “I’m Edie and this is my lovely son, Erik. Come Erik, sit next to me.” and she patted the seat next to her.  
Charlie and the kids sat down, David being weary and holding on to his mom, while Lisa’s outgoing personality was starting to show.  
“We made this for you” Lisa said as she put the challah bread on Edie’s lap. Charlie held out the kugel to Erik and he did take it from her this time.  
“We didn’t know what would be appropriate. I apologize if we got it wrong.”  
Erik was looking at her intensely while Edie smiled.  
“Is that kugel? Erik here loves kugel. Thank you! This is so kind of you. Are you Jewish?”  
“No, we are not. I am a priest in the Episcopal church that the parsonage belongs to.”  
“Oh, that’s too bad. I was hoping for a new companion to go to shul, for when Erik is too busy.” Edie said with a side glance to Erik, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation. Charlie was amused and secretly delighted at how the encounter was turning out to be.  
“We would love to be your companions, if that is ok.”  
Charlie looked from Edie to Erik. His face was still neutral, but he had a very intense gaze.  
“That would be lovely, of course.” said Edie, then turned to Lisa. “What about you lovely girl, how old are you?”  
“I am 6 years old, just finished kindergarten and I am starting first grade soon.” Lisa was beaming under the attention.  
“How wonderful!” And turned to Erik. “Anya will have a friend.”  
Lisa’s curiosity was piqued. “Who’s Anya?” she asked.  
“Anya is Erik’s little girl” Edie answered. “She is also six years old, but she doesn't live here with us, she lives with her mother.”  
“Like we live with our mom. Daddy had to stay at our old house cause he has to work there, but we will go visit him soon.” Lisa helpfully explained.  
“Yes, well, we better get going,” said Charlie, before Lisa could share more of their personal lives. “It was lovely to meet you! We won’t take more of your time. I will see you again soon.”  
She got up with a smile, with David still firmly attached to her hand and Lisa following along.  
“It was lovely to meet you, thank you for coming over and for the treats!” Edie said.  
Erik got up to walk them to the door. The kids said “Bye-bye!” and waved to Edie as they were heading out. As they exited, Charlie urged the kids to head on towards their house and turned to Erik to say goodbye.  
“Listen…” started Erik before she could say anything. “I was rude the other day. I am sorry.I shouldn't have said what I said” he said looking at the ground.  
“I understand where you were coming from. Don’t worry, we are good. Good night, Erik.” and she turned and walked home.


	3. Eleonora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a tiny bit longer. I am staring to get a hang of this writing thing, but it is slow and I also don't have a lot of time to dedicate to it between school and work and family. Thank you for reading, I appreciate all feedback, if you feel so inclined.

"You must come to dinner. You still haven't met my son!" said Eleonora  
"We would love to. Perhaps next week though, we are still settling in." replied Charlie. Raven and Hank would arrive the next day and she wanted to welcome them properly.  
"You know, he's a doctor. A very fine one at that."  
"Yes, well, you sound like you are very proud of him. I'm glad."  
There was no subtlety in the way Eleonora McCoy was talking about her son. Charlie was going forward with the story that her husband had to stay for work, but it was a thin lie to anyone, so the older woman seemed to be jumping on the opportunity to make her son look desirable.   
"And your husband...Sam?"  
"Scott."  
"Right. What does he do?"  
"He runs a company. They make specialized eye glasses and visors."  
"Yes, that can be quite interesting, I suppose."   
“Yes, he is very proud of his work. About the flower committee though, we should set a meeting to talk about the budget for decorations and flowers. And I know the party planning committee has been doing a great job planning the fundraiser, but I would like to meet with them so they can fill me in and tell me what they would like me to do.”  
“Yes, yes, of course.” Eleonora seemed to remember that she was a warden of the church and that should probably be her main preoccupation. “Oh, Logan will be back this week. You probably remember him from the interview.”  
Charlie did remember Logan. He sounded gruff and bored and seemed like the last thing he wanted was to deal with a new priest. But they needed one and there hadn’t been all that many takers since part of the contract was that the priest would live in the parsonage, so they could offer a lower salary. Charlie took it because she needed a place to stay. She wasn’t planning on filing for divorce so she knew that all assets would stay with Scott. She also didn’t want to take his money so she needed to become independent as quick as she could, so she took this job that was available immediately, was three hours away from Scott and the salary was still enough for her and the kids. It had also felt oddly right to her so she decided to follow her instinct and leap before she looked. At least she was out of Scott’s house and she would learn the rest as she went along.   
“How do you like your house? I know there’s an awful neighbour, I hope he isn’t giving you a hard time.” asked Eleonora.  
Charlie thought she must mean Erik.   
“Are you familiar with the neighbourhood and the neighbours?”  
“Yes, my son lives there, just down the street.”  
“Oh, I see. The neighbours are great, Ms Pryde and her daughter came by a couple nights ago to say hello and Kitty offered to babysit. And Erik and Edie are very nice as well. We visited with them a few nights ago. We feel very welcomed in the neighbourhood.”  
Eleonora was visibly surprised, but chose not to comment any further on the matter, instead she changed the subject.   
“I’m glad to hear. I will have Logan call you about the meetings. I do not know why he insists on being on the flower committee, but he does.” Eleonora said with an exasperated sigh.   
The rest of the day went by in a bit of a blur. Eleonora was a lovely woman, but she also thought that she knew best in all matters. She had done a good job in taking care of the church during the time they were looking for a priest, and they even did well during Easter with a supply priest. Now they were getting very close to Pentecost and Charlie was hoping they could put together a special celebration. She was also hoping Logan would be a bit easier to work with, but she didn’t get her hopes up. All she knew about him was that his late wife, Jean, had been the deacon and was very dedicated to the church. They had met at church and married there, and after she had passed away, he had remained involved.   
Dinner that night was Panda Express again, which brought David an immense amount of joy. Charlie told herself it was better to eat take-out and have a pleasant evening with the kids, than try to do too much too soon. They might eventually fall into a good rhythm, but until then, she decided to choose spending time with her kids above other optional activities.   
While parking her car, Charlie suddenly remembered that she had told Edie she would accompany her at the synagogue. With Raven and Hank arriving the next day, it meant she could be gone for a few hours.   
“I have to go ask the neighbours something,” Charlie told the kids. “Let’s drop off the food on the porch and head there.”  
“What are you gonna ask?” Lisa wanted to know.  
“Raven and Hank are coming tomorrow, so while you play with them, I might go to the synagogue with Edie.”  
“Is’t that like church?”  
“Yes, kind of.”  
“Oh my gosh, but we've been at church every day!"  
"Sweety, you don't have to go, only I will go."   
She unbuckled David who was still in a child seat while Lisa was already running towards Edie and Erik’s house. Erik’s truck was in the driveway, so he was home. When David caught up to her, Lisa rang the doorbell. Erik was the one to open the door once again, pulling it and leaning his other arm on the door jamb, seeming even taller and leaner than usual. Charlie took in a sharp breath and focused on not thinking about how attractive he was. Erik was looking down at the children.  
"Hallo, kinder!"  
"Hi Erik", Lisa said.   
"We watched a video today about golden orb weaver spiders. They have giant fangs." Is what David said in his characteristic way of interacting with people.  
"That sounds interesting," replied Erik gently.  
"Hello Erik," Charlie said before her son could offer more arachnid facts. "How are you?"  
Erik finally looked up at her with an unreadable expression on his face. “I am ok, getting dinner ready. Mama is resting for now, but she will be up soon. Do you want to join us for dinner?”  
Charlie was taken by surprise by the offer. He had been hostile when they first met and then very indifferent, so this generous offer seemed to be coming out of nowhere.   
“We already got Panda Express cause orange chicken is my favourite food” David replied.   
Before Erik could reply, Charlie finally snapped out of her confusion: “That is a very generous offer Erik! We do indeed have takeout, because orange chicken must be consumed every week.”  
Erik allowed a soft smile as he was looking at the kids.   
“Mom wants to go to your church with you” Lisa was ready to get back to her house and eat dinner.  
“Synagogue. Yes”, Charlie said. “Edie mentioned that it would be ok for me to go to the synagogue with her and I wanted to ask which day and at one time. If the offer is still standing,” she added.   
Erik was looking at her again. “Yes, you are welcome to join us. The service is at 6.30 tomorrow night. We can leave here at 6. It’s a 10 minute walk.”  
Finally Charlie smiled. “Great! I’ll be here. Have a good evening, Erik!”  
“Thanks! Enjoy that delicious Panda food!”  
“Say bye-bye” Charlie said to the kids and then looked towards Erik, who waved and gave her a soft smile. He was turning out to be a lot nicer than she expected. She waved back to him and started walking towards her house, suddenly a lot more content. She had feared a rejection from him, but he kept surprising her with kindness.   
Dinner went quickly, with everyone loving the food and bedtime was also seamless for once, the kids being very excited to fall asleep since the new day would bring them their favourite aunt and uncle. Raven and Hank were getting ready to move to be closer to Charlie. Hank had the option of moving to a different lab and Raven just needed a large room with a mirror where she could teach dancing.   
The following morning they woke up and had breakfast in the sun room in the back while they were listening to classical music and then they tidied up and waited for Raven and Hank, since Charlie didn't have to be at church that day. When they heard the truck park in the front, the kids rushed out to meet them. There was a flurry of hugs and happy tears and finally they all made it in the house and they sat down to talk, catch up and enjoy each other’s company. They made dinner together and ate and finally it was time for Charlie to head over to the neighbour’s house to join them for the synagogue service.   
She arrived with a few minutes to spare and rang the doorbell. Erik opened the door promptly and said “Let me get Mama” before disappearing into the house. He was wearing a pair of brown slacks with a cream shirt that peaked from under the knit sweater he was wearing. It was late spring, but with the evening approaching, it would soon get chilli. Charlie herself had chosen to wear a simple casual black dress with a yellow oversized cardigan and black oxford shoes. A few moments later he appeared pushing Edie in a wheelchair. She gave Charlie a beautiful smile.  
“I am so glad you are here! I couldn’t believe it when Erik told me you had stopped by.” Erik wheeled her out of the house and as he was locking the door, Edie reached out to take Charlie’s hand. “I think you will like our Rabbi.”  
“I’m sure I will” Charlie replied as Erik took hold of the wheelchair and started walking.  
Edie let go of Charlie’s hand and was holding the blanket on her lap. “But where are your children?”  
“My sister arrived in town today and the kids are spending the evening with her and her husband.” Charlie replied.  
“Oh, is your sister visiting for a while?”  
“They are moving here actually. My sister, Raven, can teach from her house and Hank found a job here that he is happy with.”  
“That sounds wonderful! Your parents must be so proud that you are so close!” Edie exclaimed.   
Charlie hesitated. She never knew when it was too early to reveal things about her past. She was afraid Erik would think her annoying again and that she would lose the easines he seemed to have around her now. For some reason, his opinion of her mattered and although she was trying to tell herself it was nothing, because she was definitely not ready for there to be something, there was definitely something about Erik that kept him constantly on her mind.   
She decided to take a plunge and be honest, but brief.  
“Raven and I are not biologically related, although we did grow up together. Raven’s mother worked for my parents and lived with us and I was extremely close to her and her mother, that’s why I refer to her as my sister.” Charlie said a bit anxiously. It was not even a sliver of the whole story, but at least it was not a lie.   
Erik was looking at her with an unreadable expression again. She didn't know how to read him, he didn’t seem to give off the same cues as Scott. That was a good thing, Erik didn’t remind her of Scott at all. Although he had been angry during their first meeting, he didn’t seem to have the eternal discontented disposition the Scott had.   
“That sounds like quite a story” Edie said. “It’s good you have someone to rely on, whether biologically related or not.”   
“Yes”, Charlie wholeheartedly agreed. “But tell me what I should expect from the service? It has been a very long time since I have visited a synagogue.”  
This had the desired effect of changing the subject and getting Edie to proudly talk about the customs and rituals of her faith. Charlie listened carefully and practiced pronouncing all the terms in Hebrew, being constantly corrected by Erik who seemed amused now. She sat next to Erik and paid attention to the service, only partially distracted by how their arms sometimes touched and how he gave off a very discreet but very appealing scent. He was a gorgeous man, with a strongly defined jaw and reddish stubble, thin lips and gorgeous green-gray eyes. His face had the natural wrinkles of a man in his 40s and although his hair wasn’t lush, he also didn’t seem to be balding. He was handsome in a very raw and natural way and he didn’t seem to be preoccupied with his looks. Charlie was thinking that she didn’t remember Scott ever setting foot out of the house without his hair carefully and deliberately done, and she welcomed every dissimilarity between the two men.  
The walk back from the synagogue was extremely pleasant. The sun had just set and the air was full of fragrances from the blooming trees. Charlie was asking for more clarifications about the music and the prayer and all the books and both Edie and Erik were patiently answering and clarifying. Charlie was feeling buoyant with the joy of experiencing such beautiful prayer and such an authentic expression of religious excitement, she decided to join them as often as she could.  
“Thank you so much for coming with us tonight, I hope you had a good time.” Edie said as they were approaching their house.   
“I had a wonderful time! I would like to join you again if that is ok.”  
“Of course, of course!” Edie said. “And the children are welcome as well.”  
“Thank you! Have a good night, I will see you again soon!” Charlie waived starting to walk over to her house.   
“Charlie!” Erik said, taking a few steps towards her. “Thank you for coming with us, you made Mama happy” he said while resting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing for just a moment. Then he turned around and wheeled his mother into the house. Charlie remained there stunned into silence by having Erik in her personal space like that, but soon snapped out of her reverie and walked home with a soft smile on her face.


End file.
